AND THEN by Judy Chicago

And then all that has divided us will merge

And then compassion will be wedded to power

And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind

And then both men and women will be gentle

And then both women and men will be strong

And then no person will be subject to another's will

And then all will be rich and free and varied

And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many

And then all will share equally in the Earth's abundance

And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old

And then all will nourish the young

And then will cherish life's creatures

And then all will live in harmony with one another and the Earth

And then everywhere will be called Eden once again.

Interfaith Council of Greater Richmond presents a Benefit Concert and Reception, April 28, 2011, from 7 - 8:30 PM, by the Virginia Benefit Chorale. This event is hosted by 2nd Baptist Church, 9614 River Road in Richmond.

For information on the Interfaith Council, go to their website www.icgr.org

For information on the Virginia Benefit Chorale, go to their website www.virginiabenefitchorale. org

Amy Burgman with Richmond Friends of Animals on Indy Media Live!

A member of an animal advocacy group called "Richmond Friends of Animals amy started getting involved with animal issues in college when she started volunteering at the local animals shelter.You can participate in a peaceful protest to educate the public about the circus too, for more information please visit http://richmondfriendsofanimals.org/




Kathy Kelly: Eyewitness to War Reports Back from Afghanistan



The ten-year long war in Afghanistan has replaced Vietnam as America's

"longest war." More than 40 Virginians have been killed in the conflict, and countless Afghan lives have been lost.



The Richmond community will have a rare opportunity on April 14th to hear first hand from a lifelong peace activist who is working closely with Afghan civilians in search of non-military solutions to end the war.



Kathy Kelly is co-director of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, (www.vcnv.org) a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare. She traveled to Afghanistan three times in 2010 with small delegations, intent on learning more about conditions faced by ordinary people in Afghanistan, a country afflicted by three decades of warfare. She will be returning from Afghanistan days before the forum. She will speak

about Afghanistan on Thursday, April 14, at 7pm. The event will be held at 5th Baptist Church, 1415 W. Cary Street, near VCU.



Kelly will discuss her observations about Afghan society and its

struggling economy, and the terrible impact of the war on its civilians. She will also describe her work with a group of young Afghans “the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers” a group seeking to build bridges among young people in Afghanistan, and share her ideas about nonviolent alternatives to war and division in Afghanistan. Her presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.





The program is cosponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center, Bon Air Presbyterian Church Peace Study Action Group, Midlothian Friends Meeting Peace and Social Action Committee, Pax Christi Richmond, Richmond Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality, Richmond Friends Meeting, Richmond Mennonite Fellowship, and Wayside Center.



Free and open to the public. Free Parking www.rpec.org 232-1002.





The Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal) is located on the southeast corner of Monument Avenue and Staples Mill Rd 355-3251



Jesus on Trial in Virginia: Sentencing Christ to Death
Saturday, April 16 · 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
The audience will witness the sentencing phase of the trial of Christ and serve as the jury. The two attorneys, Mark Osler and Jeanne Bishop, will present their cases before William G. Broaddus, who will serve as judge, with witnesses drawn from the Gospels. The program will conclude with an audience question and answer session. This program will draw upon Mr. Osler’s book, Jesus on Death Row.

Jesus on Trial in Virginia: Sentencing Christ to Death
Sunday, April 17 · 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
After the 10 a.m. Palm Sunday service, Mark Osler and Jeanne Bishop will conclude their bookend Lenten programs with an Adult Forum for those interested in continuing the conversation.

Mark Osler is Professor of Law at the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minnesota. He is a former federal prosecutor, and a graduate of The College of William & Mary and Yale Law School.



Jeanne Bishop, a Board member of Murder Victims Families for Human Rights, is the sister of Nancy Bishop Langert, who was shot to death along with her husband and their unborn child in 1990. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and the Northwestern University School of Law. Ms. Bishop serves as assistant public defender in the Office of the Cook County Public Defender and is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law in the trial advocacy program

Kerri Hilliard with Rikki's Refuge on Indy Media Live!

http://rikkisrefuge.org/


Rikki's Refuge in Orange County, Virginia, is a 367 acre, no-kill, all species peaceful sanctuary supported solely by donations of kind and loving individuals. The refuge is home to over 1200 animals of over 20 different species, including but not limited to cats, dogs, sheep, goats, rabbits, pigs, emus, chickens, ducks, geese, a chukar, peacocks, and more. It is owned and operated by Life Unlimited of Virginia, Inc. an approved not-for profit Virginia Corporation and IRS tax code 501(c)(3) corporation as determined by the IRS. Federal Tax-ID number 54-1911042. A financial statement is available upon written request from the State Office of Consumer Affairs.

Rescue, Adoption, Lifelong Shelter. Rikki's Refuge provides homeless, abandoned and abused animals with a safe and loving place to stay. Very rarely one of our residents is adopted. Those who are not adopted receive a permanent home at Rikki's where they live out the remainder of their natural lives. We provide all animals with traditional, homeopathic, and holistic medical care. This medical care can extend the life of an animal by several years, and since we are a no-kill, lifetime facility, we can only accept animals when one dies of natural causes. We do not kill to make room for incoming animals. At this time we are full to capacity and care for our existing residents with all our resources. If you contact us for help with an animal, please be aware we can only supply resource information and behavior education at this time.

Spay/Neuter (Speuter) Education and Support. All animals are spayed or neutered before being adopted out. We educate individuals on the importance of spay/neuter and refer them to low-cost clinics. Spay/neuter (Speuter) clinics

Humane Education. Rikki's is developing educational programs and website material to promote a respect for all creatures, especially companion animals. We also participate in the Kind News program.

Maintaining the Biological Diversity of Virginia Flora and Fauna. Rikki's is preserving the habitats of a wealth of Virginian plants, trees, flowers, animals, birds, and reptiles. By ensuring that our woodlands will never be developed we are also protecting the rest stops of many kinds of migratory birds.

Safe Haven for Wildlife. Rikki's provides hundreds of acres of protected woodlands for native Virginia wildlife and supports the efforts of licensed wildlife rehabilitators.

NEWS

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/03/24/japan.alternatives/index.html
(CNN) -- As Japan's earthquake and tsunami ripped through the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the wind turbines at nearby Takine Ojiroi Wind Farm did what they were designed to do: They swayed, they stopped, and they electronically checked themselves.
"Except for one wind farm that was very close to the nuclear power plant, all our turbines were up and running after the quake," said Sean Sutton of Vestas, the world's largest manufacturer of electricity generating wind turbines.
"And we are able to remotely monitor the turbines that were down (stopped)," he said.
Last week, the share prices of renewable energy companies soared as much as 10%. Nuclear companies, meanwhile, tanked as China -- which has the world's largest commitment to nuclear power with 13 plants in operation and more than 27 in the pipeline -- announced it would suspend approval for new nuclear power projects.
Germany, too, has suspended its nuclear program and ordered seven older plants closed during the moratorium. At the same time, Berlin has boosted the size of the government's renewable energy fund from €300 million ($425 million) to €1 billion.

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A call to actionby the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Pentagon Action for Peace and the Environment
APRIL 8 Pentagon around noon

PENTAGON ACTION FOR PEACE “DISARMAGEDDON”

The U.S. military is the entity most responsible for destabilizing our environment. There are innumerable reasons for this, including the exorbitant use of fossil fuels, depleted uranium weapons, worldwide transport of weapons and personnel, unlimited air travel, engagement in war and the possession, upkeep and transport of nuclear weapons.

• U.S. Wars rage on in Iraq and Afghanistan ($10 billion a month, according to Gen. Barry McCaffrey, causing immeasurable human suffering.

• U.S. drone bombs continue to kill innocent people in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other places around the world.

• Our military spending is out of control while we have no money to meet basic human needs here in the U.S.

• Torture and illegal indefinite detentions continue in Guantanamo, Bagram, and other places around the world.

• The U.S. provides billions of dollars to countries which repress its citizens and neighbors, works closely with death squads in Columbia and Indonesia, trains Latin American soldiers, who have been involved in rampant human rights abuses, at the Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation, and has established AFRICOM, which will ensure more U.S. intervention on the continent of Africa.


We come together in solidarity to act in resistance against the activities of the U.S. military
To all who are sick of heart and conscience over these actions by our government, we call on you to join us at the Pentagon on April 8 for actions of nonviolent civil resistance as we take the risks of peacemaking.

Now is a time for dissent not despair; for deepened commitment to peace, not complacency with war; for strengthened resistance, not weakened resolve. In the spirit and discipline of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and others, and for the sake of humanity, for the sake of peace and justice, and for the sake of Mother Earth we must act now.

TO PARTICIPATE, CONTACT:
joyfirst5@gmail.com